v.a.: familiar sounds vol. 1
Francisco Espregueira
Sounds Familiar, a label that has been defining soulful dance music for the past decade, is celebrating its 10th anniversary by releasing a triple LP collection of future-facing dance music. Familiar Sounds Vol. 1 features six tracks from the likes of Dego feat. Lord, Kai Alcé, Hugo LX, Retromigration & Mauricesax, Aleqs Notal feat. Amu and Kamma & Masalo. Obviously this roster makes this a glorious compilation,set to be released tomorrow. The second and third volumes of this collection are set to be released in July and October 2023, respectively.
Familiar Sounds Vol. 1 reflects the diverse sounds that have come to define the label over the years. The LP features an eclectic mix of genres, kicking off with Dego’s supreme machine funk, featuring his long time partner in crime Matt Lord. The EP develops on high-karat-gold standards with with Kamma and Masalo’s cosmically-aligned acid supernova “Neon Ocean”, the fluttering deep house on “Reminder of Tomorrow” by Aleqs Notal feat. Anu and Kai Alcé’s nocturnal on “Late Night Submersion”, following serpentine saxophone lines down the rabbit hole and into the early hours.
Retromigration keeps the mood smooth as in-the-pocket sax and flute improvisations weave a low-lit spell into the fabric of the groove, before Hugo LX steps up the snap-back drums on “Sunday Night Service”, propelled by a fluid and angular drive that closes out the compilation in style. Available on vinyl, Familiar Sounds Vol. 1 is a gold piece for collectors to revisit and vibe. Amazing work from Sounds Familiar.
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